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Heatley Sentenced to 3 Years' Probation

ATLANTA, Feb. 4 - The mothers of Dan Snyder and Dany Heatley shared a long, emotional embrace in a crowded Fulton County courtroom Friday, a symbol of how the bond between families rescued the hockey career of Heatley, a star forward for the Atlanta Thrashers.

Heatley, 24, had been charged with vehicular homicide in the death of Snyder, his Thrashers teammate and friend, after a crash in September 2003. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges Friday and was sentenced to three years' probation and fined $3,000.

Paul L. Howard Jr., the Fulton County district attorney, acknowledged that the reluctance of LuAnn and Graham Snyder, Dan Snyder's parents, to seek prison time for Heatley weighed heavily on his decision to drop the charge of felony vehicular homicide.

Heatley pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges in exchange for prosecutors dropping charges of first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving, which could have meant up to 15 years in prison.

Judge Rowland W. Barnes could have sentenced Heatley to as many as three years in jail on the misdemeanor charges: second-degree vehicular homicide, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane and speeding. But, Barnes said, the Snyders' position influenced his sentencing.

"I am imposing this sentence because, first of all, the Snyders wanted it this way," he told Heatley. "Second, I don't think the community would benefit by you being in prison."

He told the Snyders, "I don't know that I could do this if I were you."

Barnes also ordered Heatley to make 50 speeches a year for three years about the perils of speeding. His car must have a mechanism to prevent it from exceeding 70 miles an hour. Various experts estimated that Heatley was driving from 55 m.p.h. to 82 m.p.h. in a 35-m.p.h. zone when the crash occurred.

He was also ordered to make restitution of $25,000 to Fulton County for the crash investigation.

Snyder was a passenger in Heatley's Ferrari when it crashed Sept. 29, 2003. He sustained a fractured skull and never regained consciousness. Snyder died six days later; he was 25.

Howard said he tried to persuade the Snyders to join in the prosecution of Heatley, but the family resisted. That prompted him, he said, to seek a plea agreement and avoid a trial, which was to start Monday.

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"Apparently, during the whole ordeal, they have grown close to Dany Heatley," Howard said.

The families' closeness was apparent in the courtroom. Graham Snyder, who said he did not meet Heatley until after the crash, read a statement and said that his son would have wanted the family to forgive Heatley.

"Today a young man needs him and because he is not here, we will stand for him," Graham Snyder said. "Forgiveness in our hearts has helped us move on."

Heatley's mother, Karin, sobbed at times, particularly when her son turned toward the Snyders in the fourth row of the courtroom and said, "I would like to say with all my heart I am truly sorry."

Heatley then turned toward Barnes and said, "The mistake I made that night will be a mistake that will stay with me the rest of my life."

After the hearing, Graham Snyder tried to explain how his family could forgive Heatley. He described how Dan left home in Elmira, Ontario, at 16 to pursue a professional career and how close they became with the family Dan boarded with while he was in the Ontario Hockey League.

Graham Snyder said that hockey families in small towns in Canada would wrap their arms around each other for support, and that this was one of those instances.

"I don't think it was a difficult thing for us to do," he said.

Howard said that Heatley, a Canadian citizen, could still have immigration issues. He said that immigration authorities had their own guidelines for noncitizens who have committed crimes in the United States and that there was no guarantee Heatley would be allowed back into the country if he were to leave for hockey.

Heatley had been playing in the Swiss Elite League during the N.H.L. lockout.

Before Barnes dismissed Heatley, he said, "Your sentence is light compared to the sentence of Dan Snyder."

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A version of this article appears in print on February 5, 2005, on Page D00005 of the National edition with the headline: HOCKEY; Heatley Sentenced To 3 Years' Probation. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe